To Build

Caribou Coffee has a new image/PR scheme in their stores. They have these poster signs that have neat slogans which are also on their cups, etc. Things like

• Give a kid some crayons
• Sleep under the stars
• Get there on two wheels.

But one that caught my attention the other evening is

• Build communities, not empires.

That really does sum up what should be a goal for us.

• Empires rule, communities share.
• Empires conquer, communities build.
• Empires seek power, communities seek partnership.

Yes, I know that we over use the word community. It is often a buzz word that we throw out to spin our group, organization, or clique into some semblance of borrowed honor. I also know that communities in the broader and common sense of the word can be just as difficult as empires. But to think about the possibilities of communities is to grasp a new way of life that can bridge differences- if we let them.

So I can dream can't I?

(Note: As of this writing, Caribou has not yet adopted the scheme for their website.)